Why Is My Child So Overweight? | High Fructose Foods List
Table of Contents
- If a Child Is Overweight, Whose Fault Is It?
- Why Is My Child So Overweight?
- Obesity Is Not the Disease – Processed Food Is!
- Childhood Obesity Statistics
- Causes of Childhood Obesity
- What Do I Do If My Child Is Overweight?
- High Fructose Foods List
- Childhood Obesity Prevention
Should High Fructose Corn Syrup Be Banned?
If a Child Is Overweight Whose Fault Is It?
Like many words that end up getting either overused, or used entirely incorrectly, the word “pandemic” certainly falls into both those categories. Real pandemics are obvious to everybody. They don’t need constant and relentless advertising campaigns to convince people that they are bad (or real). Especially if the people are surviving them at a rate of very close to 100 percent.
I think the overweight/obesity rate of nearly 2/3 of the population of North American adults qualifies as a pandemic, far more than some other things that probably come to mind for anybody. You can look around and see that a very large percentage of us are overweight, with no billboards or other advertisements shoving it in our faces, constantly.
Anyway, we don’t want to shame anyone, and there is no point in pointing fingers. But as a parent, you may have asked this question: “If a child Is overweight whose fault is it?”
You can always plead ignorance, but only if you are actually ignorant! After reading this article, that option will be gone.
Don’t beat yourself up, and whatever you do–do not shame your child! This will worsen the issue. Simply educate and encourage him / her, and be watchful. And stop providing them with junk food. Convenience due to being busy is a terrible excuse, when you know the detriments of processed foods and other junk food.
21 Diseases Caused by Eating Junk Food | Stop Eating It!!
But Obesity Is Not the Disease
The real “pandemic” is not obesity, though. It is fast food, processed food and really the “convenience” that leads us to them so regularly.
Obesity and being overweight are the consequences of the actual problem. And in most cases, and for the most part, the consequences can be avoided. Their is still good food available. At least for now. Or at least many much better choices than pizza, or MacDonald’s. See our previous article here listing common healthy foods, and why they are healthy.
Childhood Obesity Statistics
As mentioned, nearly 2/3 of adults in North America are overweight or obese. Children are around 1/3, at last count. And the childhood obesity statistics surely don’t look like they will be improving any time soon.
Here is a book by Dr. Joseph Mercola called “Generation XL”.
The rate of obesity in children is climbing fast. And diabetes, heart disease and cancer are climbing right along with it, strangely enough…
Causes of Childhood Obesity
Mercola says, in essence, that the food system in these current times has become exceedingly reliant on high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), refined grains, processed foods and artificial sweeteners, all of which make up a recipe for serious weight gain (not to mention poor health, in general).
He goes on to say that if we can understand this, then we’ll be on our way toward understanding what the real answer to the problem is.
What Do I Do If My Child Is Overweight?
The first things that comes to my mind, and I think rightly so, are soda drinks and fake fruit juice substances. This is because of their high fructose content, and so anything with lots of fructose (especially high-fructose corn syrup) are simply terrible.
Energy drinks are also awful. If you would like to help your child to not become obese, keeping him/her from these bad liquids would be a great place to start.
Also, contrary to some myths we have been fed over the years, breakfast cereal is not healthy, and neither is most bread that is not whole grain and free of chemicals and dies and sugar.
We’re going to skip over the real obvious things, which you are aware of. But just in case, here are a few more things to eliminate that many people might not have realized are making them and their family fat.
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High Fructose Foods List
- Canned fruit
- Jams and many other spreads (read the labels)
- Most sauces, condiments and dressings. Ketchup is very bad!
- Granola and cereal bars
- Bologna
- Processed cheese
- Boxed or frozen dinners
- Flavored yogurt
- Anything that claims to be fat-free. When they remove the fat, guess what they replace it with? Just guess.
Avoid Fructose, especially High-fructose corn syrup, which is used as a sweetener in nearly everything, because it is cheaper than table sugar. And it is at least as bad for you.
Childhood Obesity Prevention
Many children will likely become obese as adults, even if with a healthy diet as kids. This is common among people who have had early childhood trauma, particularly sexual abuse.
Childhood sexual abuse is much more common than people care to realise. We won’t go into that here, but the emotions underlying childhood sexual abuse are strongly tied to obesity and other serious health problems.
Here is an article on the connections between childhood sexual abuse and obesity.
It can be discouraging and even counterproductive for a person dealing with these issues, while trying to do all the right things to lose weight. I hope the above article helps you if this is something that may ring true with you.
Anyway, I’ll wrap up by saying something that is very obvious, I’m sure…
Exercise!
Childhood obesity prevention won’t likely be as simple as not eating junk food. It is also largely due to lack of physical activity. You know what all the culprits are. Television and video games are as unhealthy as being beat over the head all day with the business end of a shovel.
But a person should consider that a poor diet is very probably contributing to their child’s inactivity. Nobody is going to have any energy if they are eating nothing but sugar!
Of course, you can’t have your eye on your children all of the time…
I’m leaving it there, lest I overstep.
Cheers!
Craig
https://un-pharma.com/list-of-healthy-foods-to-eat-everyday-and-why/
Is It Unhealthy to Season Food with Salt Or Is This Another Lie?
Too much of it can cause problems with metabolism, and overwork your liver, as well. Too much of it is definitely not good, but yes, it is hard to avoid.
Thanks for your comment!
Well according to my teacher Fructose is a sweetener found naturally in fruit and honey and as a component of high-fructose corn syrup, which is used in sweetened foods and beverages. Some research has suggested that fructose may stimulate a hormonal response in the body that promotes weight gain. and most of the food children eat contains Fructose in it.
I think it is probably partly ignorance and partly laziness and/or “convenience”. And , of course the addictiveness of sugar…
Thanks for your response.
Hi there, unfortunately there are more and more kids that are obese even at a very young age. This is certainly because of eating the wrong food and drinking sugary drinks. I do point the finger at parents that give kids unhealthy over-processed food, before they are at an age to know it is not good for them. But then unfortunately the parents themselves are often also eating and drinking the same unhealthy foods. Thanks for sharing.
So very true, isn’t it?! Parents really are quite clueless these days. Or is it more laziness…?
Thank you for your response, Mike.
Blessings to you!
Craig
Hello there! This is a very important article! These days, I feel like most illnesses that we get come from the food that we eat! In the past, people were getting illnesses later in age. Nowadays however, health conditions seem to be affecting people at a younger age including the children! This is not good. They still have many more years ahead of them. I think the best place to start is always with education and what better way than by creating posts like yours! Thanks for creating this type of content to help educate those who need it.
Yep. Very well said, my friend.
Thanks for your thoughts. Cheers!
I think that poor diets and obesity impact us all, even our children, and you are correct, Craig. When you say it is an epidemic, it has been for many years. It has been causing death or being a significant contributor to death by heart diseases, diabetes, and other medical conditions that have not been widely discussed and dismissed by many. Some even say it is only genetics, but forgetting the word theory in many studies on genetics, is a minor factor. The proven factor is poor nutrition which also impacts.
We are all consuming industrial diets, bread, milk and dairy products, meat and are told we would be in difficulty if we didn’t have them. The age-old argument the economy and you would think this wouldn’t matter with present global conditions. Perhaps brainwashing advertisements on television and video games is not too terrible but develops harmful habits. High-fructose corn syrup, refined cereals, processed meals, and artificial sweeteners are all progressively destroying us as people.
Well said, Grace. God doesn’t make mistakes, does he?
Fructose comes naturally in fruit, vegetables, and honey which are nutritious foods with many benefits.
Mind you, I used to think fructose is good as it comes from fruits. The problem is when it’s brought into the store in high quantities and added to other items like soda or pancakes which are not healthy sources for fructose.
I think ultimately, fructose (fruit sugar) is not bad, but if you’re eating lots of processed sweets and refined food it’s likely that you’re eating more fructose than necessary.
Thanks very much, Cogito. I am happy to hear this!
Yes, ketchup is mostly sugar, as are many condiments and sauces.
Blessings to you!
Hi Craig. Thank you for very important article. I do feel that we are not talking enough about children overweight and I see this problem in my family as well. Your post is very helpful, I knew that some things you listed are not healthy but for example ketchup was big surprise for me. Definitely I will use your advices and recommendations and try to be more careful what Im buying for my kids.
Hey Kwidzin. Well, this is where I tend to blame the parents, almost entirely. Kids have very little self control, and need a bit of structure and discipline, which is severely lacking. But it can partly be the parents’ ignorance, as well.
I think it’s absolutely shocking and disgusting the amount of fat people there are around. As much as a bad diet is a great contributor toward it, I also blame society. I’m not suggesting fat shaming, but this society has become over tolerant towards bad health lie this that it encourages kids to be lazy slobs
I’m so happy you want to take it seriously, Ann. I myself am still realizing every day how bad it is. Most people are afraid to face the fact that there is an elite group of people that the other 99% of us are a potential burden to, and want us dead. But I say that this is my world as much as theirs, and I refuse to be deceived and/or bullied.
I am overwhelmed by the stats of children with overweight. But I have started to notice it has begun to happen in our home with our children. I never imagined it would happen to us. But now that I am still with opportunity to reverse this, I will carefully look into the types of foods we’re having in our home and what snacks manage to find their way into the cupboards.
I hear you, Kelly. You make some good points that I completely agree with. We are a peculiar species, for sure!
wow, I would have thought about getting rid of the soda drinks, but not the fake fruit juice The word fruit would have automatically made me think it was a healthier option. And cereal is not healthy?! I have been lied to my whole life.
Television and video games are behind a lack of exercise. We bought a dog just to encourage ourselves to get out and exercise. (It worked).
The world feels so screwed up. We know these are problems yet we don’t really do anything about it. I know pizza is bad but that’s not going to stop me from buying the weekly takeout. We need to change the way we view these problems. If the world saw them in the same light they’d be seeing covid, maybe some things will change. After all, it is but a ripple that can start a wave.